Use of IC cards has become popular nowadays, and various types of insertable and removable IC cards are used. For example, an insert and connect type connector has been commonly used. In this connector design, female contacts are provided on an IC card at one end thereof while male contacts (or pins), which engage with these female contacts, are provided in the connector. When the IC card is inserted into the connector, the contacts of the IC card come into electrical contact with the contacts of the connector. Another example is a contact and connect type connector. In this connector design, a plurality of flat contacts are provided on a surface of the IC card while a plurality of corresponding contacts are provided in the connector. When the IC card is inserted into a card receiving compartment provided in the connector, the flat contacts come into contact with these contacts of the connector.
Such a contact and connect type connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,566. This connector comprises a plurality of contacts, a retaining member and a releasing member. Each of the contacts is provided in cantilever, extending in parallel to the direction of the insertion of an IC card, such that the contact portion of each contact is positioned in the cavity which is provided for reception of an IC card. The retaining member is to retain the contacts in such a condition that the contacts are elastically bent and their contact portions are positioned out of the card receiving compartment. The releasing member is to release the contacts which are held by the retaining member. This releasing action is activated by the contact and push of the front end of an IC card which is inserted into the card receiving compartment. In this construction, as long as an IC card is not in the card receiving compartment, the contacts are retained elastically bent by the retaining member, so that the contact portions are not in the card receiving compartment. However, when the IC card is inserted into the card receiving compartment, the releasing member is operated to release the contacts from the retaining member. When the contacts are released, the contact portions of the contacts return into the card receiving compartment because of the resiliency of each contact and come into contact with the flat contacts of the IC card. In this connector arrangement, the timing when the contact portions meet the flat contacts is controlled to minimize the distance one contact portion travels with respect to the other in sliding contact, thereby reducing the abrasion of both the contact members.
However, this type of conventional connector has an inherent disadvantage of having a number of parts, which results in a high production cost. The electrical contacts, the member to retain these contacts in elastic deformation, and the member to release the contacts from the retaining member, all of which are described above, are all separate components in the connector.